Tie wire dispenser



pl N, 96? w. wAssoN TIE WIRE DISPENSER Filed Nov. 27, 1964 INVENTOR.LAWRENCE i4. WSSO/V TTOR/VEY United States Patent i' Bliflii PatentedApr. 1l, 1967 3,313,498 'HE WERE BESRENSER Lawrence W. Wasson, 587 HopeSt., Springdale, Conn. 06879 Fiied Nov. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 414,191 5Claims. (Cl. 242-96) This invention relates to a wire dispensing reeland more particularly relates to the type of wire dispensing deviceutilized by workmen in dispensing tie wire used in fastening steelreinforcing rod.

in the normal practice of constructing concrete buildings and otherstructures with steel reinforcing rod, workmen employ tying wire tosecure the rods in position. To enable workmen to have a handy supply ofwire readily available in a form that can be used in making quick `andefective ties of the various and numerous rods, 'a portable dispensingdevice is used. ln the past several types of dispensers have beendeveloped and offered for use as wire dispensers for reinforcing rodtying. In all of these, however, some aspect of their construction ormanner of functioning has limited widespread satisfactory commercialuse. Typical of the devices that have been developed for this purposeare those disclosed in U.S. Patents 2,683,000 and 2,982,491.

An improved device is described yand claimed in my prior Patent3,134,556, patented May 26, 1964. In this patent there is described areel comprised of two cup-like shells, hinged at the center to open likea clam shell and provided in its end walls with openings in each ofwhich a shaft is mounted with teeth or dogs at their central ends sothat when mated on closing the reel the shaft becomes a unit as far asrotation is concerned. The two shafts are provided with tapered hubs soAthat when the reel is hinged open a coil of wire can be mounted on onehub and the reel closed. The side walls are provided with openingsthrough which the end of the wire can pass and also through which thesmall lengths of light wire which holds the coils together can be cutafter the reel is closed to permit wire to be pulled out. Two end platesare formed as part of the ends of the hubs or attached thereto so thatwith the hubs they form a reel holding the coil of wire and turning as aunit with the shaft.

In my copending application, Ser. No. 334,280, tiled Dec. 30, 1963, nowPatent No. 3,249,319, is described and claimed an improved reel anddispenser in which one end plate forms -a cup sha-pcd device which ispivoted on the edge of the other end plate The shaft turning in thefirst end plate is much longer, for example twice as long, as the othershaft which is mounted in the opposite end wall The hubs are also ofunequal length.

This improved reel eliminates a problem presented by wire catching inthe slit where the two portions of the reel in my earlier patent meet.This can cause jamming of the wire but this is impossible in theimproved device because the wire opening is a continuous edge withoutany split. The construction also presented an additional advantage thatwhen a new coil of wire is to be inserted before the previous coil ofwire is completely used up, as when a workman in moving to la differentpart of the building construction wishes to be sure that he has a fullcoil of wire to work with, the end wall with the short hub can be moreeasily opened when there is still some coiled wire on it than if the hubis of the same length as in my earlier patent.

Although the construction described in my prior patent and copendingapplication represent improved devices they do have two general respectsin which they fall somewhat short of the ideal. The first is that coilsof wire to be inserted in the reels are not held to extremely closetolerances as far as width of the coil is concerned. Thus when one coilof wire is inserted of greater width, the end plates hold it closely, orit may be considered to lill the reel formed by the hub and end platescompletely. However, if the coil is a little narrower it fits loosely inthe reel and when wire is withdrawn it is possible to slip oli the endof the coil and become wedged. The second feature is that if a fairlylong piece of wire is withdrawn, for example when the workman reaches tomake a -tie of a reinforcing rod which is not close to his body, it maybe desirable to wind the wire back in when the workman is finished andhas to descend ladders or move elsewhere. The projecting piece of wirewill be in the way. The present invention eliminates both of thesedrawbacks Vand may be considered .as having two aspects.

The iirst aspect, that is to say the rigid dimensions of the turningreel inside the dispenser is solved by the present invention byinterposing resilient means, such as various kinds of springs, so thatthe end plates of the inner reel are pushed together. It is of coursenecessary that these plates must be slideable on a portion of the shaft.When the reel dispenser is loaded with a coil, a closing of 4the casingcauses the coil to push the two inner end plates apart against springpressure and they are always maintained snugly .against the edges of thecoil of wire even though their width dimension may vary somewhat. Thereis therefore no possibility that the wire as it is withdrawn will slipbetween a loosely fitting end plate and the coil itself and so becomewedged. The various types of springs which will be described below in amore speciiic description of the invention do not present any problem ofexcessive drag and therefore wire may be payed out just as easily aswith the reel dispensers of my prior patent and application. In otherwords the improvement which eliminates the problem of loosely fittingwire coils is obtained without any corresponding drawback.

The second aspect of the present invention involves the provision of aparticular kind of handle which can wind up wire on the reel inside thedispenser. Handles are not new things. The old types of dispensers priorto the improvements of my patent and application above referred to hadan end plate which rotated as one part of the reel and on this there wasa short handle. The dispensers presented all of the problems ofdisassembly, loosening, losses of clamping nuts and the like whichrendered the earlier wire dispensers less advantageous and which wereavoided by the improved dispensers of my patent and application abovereferred to. In addition these handles rotated with the rotating endplate and this created an additional problem because the rotatinghandle, even though quite short, could catch in workmens clothing or inother obstructions and this was a sufficiently serious problem so thatthe improved dispensers of my prior patent and applications weredesirable even though they eliminated the possibility of winding backshort strips of wire.

The present invention solves this problem without any drawback by meansof a folding handle which, in the folded position7 forms a journal inwhich the shaft of the inner reel turns but when folded to a centralposition engages the fastening nut on the end of the shaft and whenturned in this position turns the whole of the shaft thus permittingwinding up wire on the inner reel. When returned to its unfoldedposition the handle iits snugly lagainst the peripheral surface of thedispenser and permits the reel to turn freely as if the handle were notthere.

It will be obvious that both aspects of the present invention may beincorporated in a single dispenser and in fact this constitutes thepreferred embodiment obtaining the maximum of advantages without anydrawbacks.

The invention will be described in greater detail in conjunction withthe drawings in which:

FIG. l is a section through a dispenser hinged in the middle of itsperipheral surface as described in my earlier patent, and

FIG. 2 is a similar section through a dispenser accordto my copendingapplication.

In FIG. 1 the dispenser is shown in its closed form having two outer endplates 1 and 2 with a central opening in depressions of each in whichshafts 5 and 6 are journalled. The shafts are fastened by nuts 13 and 14and at their inner ends are provided with teeth 11. The two halves ofthe outer dispenser casing are hinged at 22 and held by spring fastenerZ1 when the dispenser is closed which is the position in which it isshown in FIG. l.

On the shafts 5 and 6 there are mounted hubs 9 and it? which aredeveloped into inner reel end plates 3 and In the position shown in FIG.1 the hubs 9 and 10 and end plates 3 and 4 form a reel which receivesthe coil of wire to be dispensed. The coil is shown at 24 riding on thehubs 9 and 10. Openings 25 and 26 are on opposite sides of theperipheral wall through which wire can be dispensed and/or wire coilfastenings can be cut.

End plate 1 is provided with two integral belt loops 27, only one ofwhich shows in FIGS. 1 and 2. These belt loops are conventional on wirereel dispensers and are mounted near the peripheries to give a good gripon the workmens belt and prevent undesired twisting. The belt loops arenot significantly changed by the improvements of the present invention.

In order to be able to rewind wire there is provided a handle 17 with around portion 16 through which the shaft 6 passes and in which openingit turns. The member 16 is then provided with an offset portion 15bringing it out to the level of the end plate 2. The handle 17 isjournalled on a pin 19 in this member and can be folded back against theend wall 2 as is shown in FIG. 1. The handle is provided with adepression 18 which iits over on the nut 6 when the handle is swung intoclosed position, which is illustrated in FIG. 2. In this position thefiat edges of the depression engage two flat surfaces of the nut 14 andwhen the handle isturned the nut, and with it the shafts 6 and 5 and theinner reel formed of hubs 9 and 10 and end plates 3 and 4 turns,permitting winding back a portion of wire which may have been pulledout. After the wire is wound in the handle is folded back into itsopened position which is shown in FIG. l. A spring detent 20 holds thehandle 17 in either of its extreme positions with suicient force toguard against its moving unless deliberately moved by the workmen usingthe dispenser.

It will be seen that the hubs 9 and 10 can slide axially on the shafts 5and 6 under the spring pressure of the springs 7. An alternative formdispenses with the portion of the shafts 5 and 6 near the center of thereel and the hubs are provided with teeth or dogs which engage when thedispenser is snapped shut. This alternative is shown in FIG. 2. Thisfigure also illustrates hinging of the outer dispenser casing at one endat the hinge 23. This is in accordance with my co-pending applicationabove referred to in which the openings 25 and 26 are in solid walls ofthe longer portion of the -peripheral walls so that there is no crack atthe point where the two sides of the peripheral wall join, as in FG. 1.This modification incorporates the subject matter of my co-pendingapplication -above referred to but does not change the other elements ofthe device, which form the subject matter of the present invention. It,therefore, is an illustration of the application of the presentinvention to the modified form of casing described in my co-pendingpatent. These same dogs can carry the ends of a wire spring 2 as shownin FIG. 2. The shaft 5 now ends in a head 29 on which the hub 9 canslide but cannot rotate as the head 29 is not round. The pressure of thespring 23 causes the hub 9 to move inwardly and with it the plate 3.Similarly on the other side the shaft 6 is formed into a bolt of thesame shape and a second spring 23 fastened to the hub 1t) operates inthe same manner. The effect of the two springs is to move the hubstogether slightly, there being sufficient movement to accommodate snuglywire coils of slightly different sizes.

The inner ends of the hubs are provided with dogs 25 which engagecorresponding dogs on the hub 1G so that the two hubs rotate as one whenthe dispenser is snapped shut. The dogs are sufficiently long so thatthey engage even though there has been slight movement of the hubs underthe influence of the springs. Again the hubs and bolts form a solidshaft when the dispenser is snapped shut and therefore when the shaft 6is turned by the handle 17 as described above the inner reel turns as aunit.

It will be noticed that the central depression of the end plate 1 of thedispenser is suiiciently deep so that the nut 13 does not project farbeyond its plane. The nut 14 does project slightly beyond the plane ofplate 2. The handle 17 in its unfolded position does n'ot turn and sodoeg not catch on the workmans clothing. It of course projects beyondthe end plate 2 which is away lfrom the workman.

Means for locking the handle onto the shaft 6 is shown in the form of adepression with uted sides which engage the nut 14. Of course this isonly one form and any other shape which would cause engagement, forexample a square of hexagonal projection fitting into a correspondingdepression in the end of the shaft 6 could be used. The essentialrequirement is only that there be a connection of the handle to theshaft 6 in the unfolded position so that when the handle is turned theinner reel turns.

I claim:

1. In a cylindrically shaped, tie Wire dispensing device comprisingtwo'opposing shells, at least one of which is cup shaped, hinged to openand close in a clamshelllike manner, each shell containing an end plateand at least one shell having a sidewall integral therewith, the shellshaving centrally located openings, a shaft journalled in each opening,an inner plate slideable on each shaft and rotatable therewith, a halfhub on each shaft and integral with each of said inner plates and meansfor connecting the hubs to rotate as one in the closed position of thedispenser, the improvement which comprises resilient means p'ositionedto slide said inner plates toward each other whereby the hubs and innerplates form a reel of variable width and capable of accommodating coilsof wire of different widths.

2. A tie Wire dispensing device according to claim 1 in which theresilient means is a spring surrounding each shaft at intervals betweenthe end plates of the dispenser and the inner plates and hubs.

3. A tierwire dispensing device according to claim 1 in. which eachshaft has an end on which the corresponding hub is slideably movable butl'ocked against rotation with respect thereto and the resilient means isa spring mounted in at least one hub and bearing on the end of the shaftpositioned to move such hub inwardly with respect to the dispenser endplate.

4. In a cylindrically shaped, tie Wire dispensing device comprising twoopposing shells, at least one of which is cup shaped, hinged to open andclose in a clamshelllike manner, each shell comprising an end plate andat least one shell having a sidewall integral therewith, the shellshaving centrally located openings, a shaft journalled in each opening,an inner plate slideable on each shaft, hubs slideable on said shaftsbut not rotatable thereon, resilient means for moving said inner platestoward each other and means for connecting the hubs to rotate as one inthe closed position of the dispenser, the improvement comprising afoldable handle hinged on a member through which one shaft isjournalled, members provided on the handle and said one shaftcooperating References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS1,291,368 1/1919 Bass 242--71 X 10 3,001,738 9/1961 Quenot 242-843,134,556 5/1964 Wasson 242-96 STANLEY N. GILREATH, Prmaly Examiner.

in the handle folded position to lock the handle to said 15 W- S' BURDENAssistant Examinerone shaft.

1. IN A CYLINDRICALLY SHAPED, TIE WIRE DISPENSING DEVICE COMPRISING TWOOPPOSING SHELLS, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS CUP SHAPED, HINGED TO OPEN ANDCLOSE IN A CLAMSHELLLIKE MANNER, EACH SHELL CONTAINING AN END PLATE ANDAT LEAST ONE SHELL HAVING A SIDEWALL INTEGRAL THEREWITH, THE SHELLSHAVING CENTRALLY LOCATED OPENINGS, A SHAFT JOURNALLED IN EACH OPENING,AN INNER PLATE SLIDEABLE ON EACH SHAFT AND ROTATABLE THEREWITH, A HALFHUB ON EACH SHAFT AND INTEGRAL WITH EACH OF SAID INNER PLATES AND MEANSFOR CONNECTING THE HUBS TO ROTATE AS ONE IN THE CLOSED POSITION OF THEDISPENSER, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES RESILIENT MEANS POSITIONED TOSLIDE SAID INNER PLATES TOWARD EACH OTHER WHEREBY THE HUBS AND INNERPLATES FORM A REEL OF VARIABLE WIDTH AND CAPABLE OF ACCOMMODATING COILSOF WIRE OF DIFFERENT WIDTHS.